Introduction
Influence, control and power have always been at arm’s length for those who rule over society. Formerly, the elites with power were royalty but nowadays, the businessman is king. To use a term that C. Wright Mills coined, the “power elites” are defined as people whose decisions have major consequences in society. They’re in command of the “major hierarchies and organizations of modern society” as they run big corporations, the state and the military establishments (Mills, 1984, p. 72). As the media is a series of conglomerates, corporations and monopolies, the elite of course own and operate them. The media is used as a tool to influence society and culture by the elites. Three points will be hit when analyzing this topic. First, the historical setting of the past will be used to demonstrate the omnipresence of media. Second, the historical evolution of media and how humans have progressed from oral communication to a mass media of dissemination. Third, we will look at media as an evolutionary achievement and how the theories of communication have come to be shaped. Finally, Chomsky’s Propaganda Model will be used as a modern theory that explains the filtering process of the news before it reaches its final audience.
Omnipresence of Media
In the 21st century, media is everywhere we turn. It is in our homes on TV, in our cars on the radio, and when we turn on our laptops, the internet is there to greet us. Communication is the basis of modern society. When analyzing communication, Harold Lasswell described the process in terms of who says what, to whom, in which channel, and with what effect (1953, p.84). This analysis gives us the basis of the transmission of information. The media, being the presenters of information, are those who communicate the message, their audience is the general population, their channels are diverse (radio, newspapers, television, the internet) but reach all corners of the earth and the effects of their messages are immeasurable. Or to put it in Marxist terms, those who own the means of production (capitalists/bourgeoisie/the elite) also own the factories of meaning (1867, p. 198). That is to say, the media frames ideas and thus the public’s perception of society.
Evolution of Media
The evolution of media can be credited to the development of new technologies. When discussing technologies, we are not only referring to the physical creations such as television and phones, but we also include the crucial basis on which these things rely - like symbols and language. Communication has always been a part of human nature. Beginning with cave markings, in other words, pictorial dissemination, we have developed into very social species. During antiquity much of the communication was oral, religious icons and high status individuals would communicate religious debates, authority, and news to the general public. This was the seed of a universal media.
Media has evolved in sequence, for example in order to write, society first had to develop language. Once we could write we then created printing and so forth. With each addition to the prior forms of media, the messages being communicated reached larger populations. Once the printing press was developed by Johannes Gutenburg in the 1400’s, the duplication of documents was possible and this accelerated media immensely. Society now had some form of documentation whereby information was universal and concrete. In progression, newspapers and literature became the media and everyone was on “the same page”. Because society referred to these forms of media for entertainment and insight, those in control of the media, “the elite”, were able to decide what was said, but more importantly how it was said. Taking full advantage of the possibilities of manipulation, the government and organizations began inserting both direct and indirect advertisements, encouraging society to live a consumer lifestyle.
Moving forward, the amount of media sources today is overwhelming. Adding electronic broadcasting and the internet to the list, media has become inescapable. Society is extremely influenced by the media and we have become susceptible to the manipulation of the elite. The elite have all of our information, from the demographic of consumers to society’s motivations and fears. Garnham notes that ``we create ourselves, but not in the conditions of our own making. We stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before.’’ Historically, society has continued to support media without concern, it is only recently society has begun to realize that media is not just information for the masses, but a tool for the elite to establish control.
Media as an Evolutionary Achievement
Media as an Evolutionary Achievement
According to Niklas Luhmann, a German sociologist, communication is the operation that allows the reproduction of social systems (Luhmann, 1984, p. 98). To him, communication and media shapes and moulds society, directly impacting the way society is built and structured. However, he failed to cover the importance of power that the elite holds in the construction of these said social systems.
Luhmann states that there are two forms of communication that are imperative to evolutionary achievement of every human social system. The first one is Language (Luhmann, 1984, p. 94), which extends the possibilities of communication beyond the sphere of mere perception by attaching meaning to concepts. However, Paul Simpson and Andrea Mayr, in their book Language and Power, develop this notion of language being fundamental in societies by saying that it is used to “shape and create institutions” and in turn, these institutions “have the capacity to create, shape and impose discourses.” Since institutions are evidently the product of every society’s leaders, Language is used by the Elite to favour their impositions of ideologies and beliefs upon the masses and to therefore, control them.
The second form of communication, which cannot exist without the first, is Media of dissemination (Luhmann, 1984, p. 162). These forms of media, such as writing, printing and electronic broadcasting, allow the transmission and documenting of information to a larger body of individuals and create coherence in a society. This information is however controlled by those in charge of dispersing, which are the media tycoons who monopolize the printing and broadcasting agencies. In our modern age, this information does not only leak in the community but also eventually in the “global village”, terms which Marshall McLuhan explains as being the village that the world has been contracted into due to electronic technology (McLuhan, 1964, p. 88). Power is given to the countries that can efficiently disperse and impose their ideologies on weaker countries. There is therefore a two degree stance of power that is created – one that is local and what that is worldly.
Continuing on this concept of dispersal media, one of the distinct changes is how wide and fast information is disseminated through technology. For example, information from the television and internet is spread rapidly to a mass audience making the media difficult to escape. As the spread of information becomes advanced, the influence of media becomes more significant. By looking at various communication theories, it will be easier to see how influential the media is.
The agenda setting theory examines the direct effect of mass media on audiences. Bernard Cohen (1963) highlights how the media may not be able to tell audiences "what to think", but they could tell them “what to think about" (Carrier, 2009, p. 81-92). The issues people think are important to deal with will be correlated with the issues that the media most often presents as problems for the society (Carrier, 2009, p. 81-92). Also, when an issue is continually at the fore-front it can have an effect on the masses because it makes them take notice. People tend to put importance according to media exposure. For example, during the 2004 presidential election, the safety and security of the state was one of the key issues. It was discussed heavily through the television, newspapers, and radio. The media attention on security was a significant reason why George Bush got re-elected. That is because he emphasized the importance of safety to Americans. Thus, agenda setting aided Bush in getting re-elected because the media focused on his message which the public held in high regards. Lastly, the “Two step flow of communication” theory states that influence comes from opinion leaders. They are people who influence the opinions, attitudes, beliefs, motivations, and behaviours of others (Valente & Pumpuang, 2007, p. 87). Examples of opinion leaders would be religious and political figures. In society today, the powerful opinion leaders are the media moguls. Since the moguls are monopolistic, they get to choose which stories get more exposure and attention in regards to their views and beliefs. For example, media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, who is a well-known conservative, has his views widely displayed on newspapers’ and television stations that he owns. He was a strong supporter of the U.S invasion of Iraq and it was shown through his media empire. A 2003 Guardian survey found of 175 NewsCorp controlled newspapers, they mimicked Rupert Murdoch’s support of the invasion, George Bush and Tony Blair. Furthermore, they were critical of the anti-war protestors (Arsenault & Castells , 2008, p. 88). This exemplifies that dominant opinion leaders are the moguls who have a lot influence in society.
Propaganda Model
The Propaganda model created by Chomsky and Herman explains how content in the media is cleared through five filters before it reaches the audience. Those filters are ownership of the corporation, funding of the programming, sourcing of the information, lobbyist responses to messaging, and a fear tactic slant in order to maintain societal control (Chomsky, 2002, p. 75). An example of the Propaganda model in action is when looking at the ownership habits of media mogul Rupert Murdoch. When attempting to change the healthcare system in the States, Obama was highly criticized by Fox News because this change would affect the status quo, the rich, and the elite.
Summary
To conclude, the media's major function is to influence society, as wielded by the hands of the elite. As they are the ones who own the media, they also play a major role in shaping, forming and moulding societal norms and beliefs and communication as a whole. The first section that was analyzed discussed the omniprescence of media and its effect on tha greater population. The second category examines the evolution of media and how historically, the elites have had a great strangehold on the flow and distribution of communication. The third category, media as an evolutionary achievement. aided wen furthering the point that the dominant opinion is controlled by moguls, monopolists and the elit who carry much influence in society based on what they own. Finally the Propaganda Model was used to show how the elites filter the media and the message before it reaches the audience. Now, what is important to retain from this discourse? One can personally reclaim that power that was first given to the elites by using his or her analytical abilities to choose what information to accept, and which to reject.
Summary
To conclude, the media's major function is to influence society, as wielded by the hands of the elite. As they are the ones who own the media, they also play a major role in shaping, forming and moulding societal norms and beliefs and communication as a whole. The first section that was analyzed discussed the omniprescence of media and its effect on tha greater population. The second category examines the evolution of media and how historically, the elites have had a great strangehold on the flow and distribution of communication. The third category, media as an evolutionary achievement. aided wen furthering the point that the dominant opinion is controlled by moguls, monopolists and the elit who carry much influence in society based on what they own. Finally the Propaganda Model was used to show how the elites filter the media and the message before it reaches the audience. Now, what is important to retain from this discourse? One can personally reclaim that power that was first given to the elites by using his or her analytical abilities to choose what information to accept, and which to reject.
Bibliography
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